In this project, I had to take pictures of 15 different people, I had to take 30 pictures in total. One picture with them smiling and one without smiling. The challenge was finding people to take pictures of because no one wanted a picture of themselves. Some people’s face changed a lot but others, you could barely tell the difference. Some people look very happy but others look not enthusiastic. You can see my pictures here.
Smile
Lots of people said no to this project and something else that made it difficult was how we couldn’t ask people we knew, it had to be complete strangers. The changes I see are actually depending on who you asked. Some people made a weird smile on purpose and then had a normal face without emotion. It sets your mind to either have them in a specific pose or in a specific background that matches who they are. You could ask how their emotions are at the moment, how people react to you without knowing you, etc. The pictures are here.
SMILE!!!
During this project we had to find 15 different people and take pictures of them smiling and one not smiling to see how they change and what people thought when they look at both pictures. I had to have 30 pictures in total. This project was a very challenging project and it was really hard. Some of the challenges was to find people who would accept to take a picture. They were not forced to take the picture so they had the ability to say no which made the project so difficult. Some changes that I saw was some people looking aggressive when they didn’t smile and others looking sad and depressed, but when they smile they look like a completely different person. When I was taking the pictures I was scared to ask some people if I could take pictures of them because when I first looked at each person I thought about how they could be just by looking at their faces. Even though I didn’t know them I pictured some ways they could act just because of how they looked. But When they smiled, I was so surprise of how different they looked when they weren’t smiling. When I asked people if I could take pictures of them I didn’t really bother ask them question because I felt like I was already taking up their time and it was awkward so I didn’t want to torture them more by asking questions. You can check out all of my photos here.
Then I Asked Them to Smile
The project “Then I Asked Them to Smile” was challenging and tested my social skills. I had to go up to random strangers inside and outside of school and ask them if I could take their picture. Most of the time the interaction between me and the person I was photographing was awkward and weird, but occasionally the person getting there photo taken was exited about it. One thing that was difficult was what the whole project was about, TAKING PICTURES OF STRANGERS! It was uncomfortable and difficult, especially when the person I asked to take a picture of awkwardly said no and looked at the ground! In all the people I photographed, I saw little emotional change from when they didn’t smile and when they smiled. Sometimes I messed up because I thought the person I was photographing wasn’t smiling when they were. That ended weirdly with a “umm I was smiling before.” But then they did a big smile so that was good. If you were bias toward boys or girls then you would probably have more boys or girls in your photos, depending on what gender you are bias towards. If I were hired and I was told not to take bias photos and to make the photos “fair” I wouldn’t have a particular game play. I would just walk around a city and ask approachable people who are walking past me if I could take a photo of them for a photography project. I wouldn’t take pictures of them based on age, height, gender, etc. I probably wouldn’t asked them any questions either because that would probably make it weirder than it all ready is between us. All in all, this project was challenging, awkward, and weird. I would not want to do this project again!
Smile!
For this assignment we had to take photos of 15 different people, one smiling and one not smiling. When people weren’t smiling they looked either intimidating or dead inside. But then when they smiled they looked so much more happy and alive! Bias can affect your job as a photographer because you might want to take a picture of someone but they look intimidating, so you just don’t. They could be a really nice person for all you know, but they just don’t look friendly. Some people look more approachable than others. I would ask people what they like to do in their free time, because that can show a lot about their character. You can see my photos Here.
Smile
In this project, we had to take 2 pictures, one of someone smiling and one of them not smiling. This would give whoever was looking at the photos a different perspective about the person and not to automaticly think about stereotypes. The most difficult part of the project was honestly putting them on the presentation and making sure the photos looked even. When I looked at the different photos I definitely saw a difference, it showed me who the person really was once they smiled. Bias could affect a ton of things as a photographer such as the way the photographer wants to portray the photo or how they want people to see/feel when looking at the photo. I should ask what they want people to think of you when they look at the photo. This project really opened my eyes to different perspectives. If you would like to see all my photos, click here.
Say cheese
It was a little difficult asking people that we didn’t know if we could take a picture of them, and having to explain the project to them. Some of the changes in the people were completely different when they smiled, then didn’t smile. It looked like they had totally different personalities in each photo. Your bias on something can greatly affect your work as a photographer. If you think a thing of a certain person, you might take the picture a certain way to portray that trait. If I was hired to take photos of someone, I would ask them what they like to do, what there current and dream job is, and to describe themselves in one word.
To see my all my photos and the changes in people, click here.
Smile!
In this project we had to take 20 different people’s pictures (I had a group of 3), one smiling and one not smiling. The hard part of this project was asking people, because many kids looked unhappy or unwilling to. It was VERY uncomfortable. Some people looked very different when they smiled, while others looked pretty much the same. When people smiled, it made them seem like a whole other person. You should not stereotype as a photographer, because it can keep you from getting a good picture. We always asked the question, “Would you be willing to take a picture?” so that we would know if the “client” would be comfortable with taking the picture. To see all my pictures, click here.
The Smile Project
This project gave me a new experience that I never felt before in my life. I had to take two pictures of fifteen complete strangers, one photo with their normal facial expression and one with them smiling. As much as this assignment was uncomfortable, it was also very special. It was amazing seeing how visions and thoughts on a certain person could change drastically if they simply smile. The task also taught me about implicit bias, which are stereotypes and thoughts people naturally have to view on things. During my experience, I was sometimes hesitant to ask certain people if they wanted a picture, but I gathered all my courage and went onward to them. Some people said that they didn’t want one, and that was okay. Some instances were also pretty hilarious, where one person advised to take a picture of their friend, and that friend recommended another until the last one agreed for a photo. Everything was A LOT easier then what I had imagined in the very beginning. If I was hired as a photographer and wanted to avoid implicit bias, I would ask my client to simply smile. Smile and do a pose that your heart desires most, because that’s the fun of photography. For the first time, this project not only told me about how to make good pictures, but also more about the world we live in and what actually lives deep within us. -Marie Valouiski
Slides for the rest of the photos here.
Then I Asked Them To Smile
What was difficult was finding people that I didn’t know or know of in the school to take photos of. Most of these people were substitutes or new teachers. What was also hard was actually asking them for a photo, and some people saying no because they were uncomfortable with their photo being taken. When the people smile,I notice they seem much nicer based on the photo. Bias could effect your job as a photographer by what angle you take the photo from, what poses you tell them to do, what filter you use, etc. When you are hired as a photographer I would ask the client to tell me what theme or what light they want to be painted in. Then, I would ask them to tell me one good thing about themselves and one bad thing about themselves. This way I have a balanced opinion of them and not implicit bias. To view my slideshow click here.